Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) said that they had discovered how the Giardia parasite was able to break apart cells in the gut and feed off them. The team reported that the organism produced two main types of protein that enabled it to cut through layers of protective mucus in the gut, breaking the links that knit cells together in order to access the nutrients within them.

This protozoan parasite, which people typically pick up through drinking infected water or contaminated food, causes giardiasis, with symptoms including diarrhea and stomach pains. Currently more than 200,000 people are ill with giardiasis and there are 500,000 new cases a year.